Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
It goes without saying that if you make it to Cairns you will be spending at least one day aboard of boat of some sort so that you can take a swim on the Great Barrier Reef. Of course I had seen it while out on the Whitsundays but up here The Reef looks a lot more like you would expect it to.....not to mention that the water is a whole lot warmer.
When I decided what day I was going to head out (a decision that the week long weather forecast helped me make) I just had to pick a boat. All the tours leave from the same place, at around the same time and return at the same time so really I just had to find the one I liked the look if of the most that seemed to offer the experience I wanted. I chose Passions of Paradise (Lonely Planet recommends them and it turns out they are one of the very few locally owned boats so it's nice to support a local company). Once I found the place......I got slightly turned around when I made my walk......it was a quick step to check in and find the boat. And no worries, I didn't make my Whitsundays mistake and I took my snorkel gear with me.
It was a 2-ish hour ride out to our first snorkel location. Along the way we were given some snorkel instructions (in case you were new to it) and some dive instruction (in case you were doing that) and a snack (tea time is so big here in Australia). I thought long and hard about doing an introductory dive but I am still a little nervous about that (I like to be in the water but not so much underneath it). Plus I have been battling a cold and I was far too congested to really consider it. I guess that will have to wait until next time.
As the title suggests I regret to inform everyone that my digital underwater camera has broke. It stopped working right at the end of my Whitsundays trip. I am not surprised (everyone seems to have trouble with them and that is why I bought replacement coverage) but I was hoping it would get me through this week. Instead I had to purchase a disposable one-use camera......at a very unreasonable $20. But you know me......I love the underwater shots so it was worth the price. I really did miss the video camera though. The still shots I took only give you a slight clue what it really is like.
The back of the boat and some of the big fish that like to come and visit. I know some of them are bat fish. Not sure what the other ones are but they are all very friendly.
Anyway, we had 2 stops. The first was at Michaelmas Cay where we were taken from the boat to the island and then snorkeled right off the beach. It was so nice. And the water.....well about 27 degrees (that's Celsius.........about 81 F).....so yes, bath water warm. It didn't take long to see some fish and some coral and some little blue and white specked rays. I very quickly forgot about my cough and cold. The water actually felt very good.
Happy in the water wearing my own gear. So much better than having to borrow cheap stuff from the boats.
Here fishy fishy.
Some of the pretty little fish. I know the picture quality from the throw away camera is not as good as from the digital camera but it will have to do.
Under the sea. Does kind of remind me of a cartoon.
After about an hour we left our first spot and prepared to head to the next spot. On the way we were fed lunch. Once again it was pretty good. Quite tasty indeed. And after the first snorkel I had worked up an appetite. Eventually we made it to the second location known as Paradise Reef where we just hopped in the water off the boat. Once again a really beautiful spot and perfectly warm water. At this spot only our boat was allowed to stop so there was a lot of space to swim around. Here are a few more underwater shots.
Some of the big fish at the back of the boat. They don't bother you at all.......but they are very big.
Once again some of the beauty I found once I went under the water.
One of my favourite shots. Not easy to get when you can't see what you are taking a picture of.
Eventually I had to leave the water and the boat had to head back to Cairns. A very full day on the water. Worth every penny.On my walk home I managed to spy the flying foxes for the first time since I arrived in Cairns. During the day hundreds.....maybe thousands of them sleep in the trees throughout Cairns.
A few of the fluffy little flying foxes.....also known as fruit bats. I understand they are endangered here in Queensland and there are many programs out there to help save them. There is a lot of information signs all over the place to make sure people are aware that they exist. I of course lived in a tent beneath a tree that fruit bats eat in so I could never forget they existed. A little tidbit of info about the flying foxes.......they always travel with a group. If you ever find one on it's own, it usually means something is wrong. In Cairns you are asked to call the flying fox rescue line if you ever find a lone flying fox.
And well that was my day on the reef. So great. So warm. So much fun. So tiring. I think it is time to take a vacation day from my vacation.Julie
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